Hey there...Just thought ide share a story will ya'll. So today i went out to fly...ive been working like everyday in the week and past weekends so i finally got a chance to go today. So i went out to the flying field and they were predicting rain later on in the day so it was kinda cloudy(obviously cloudlier than it thought). I taxied to the runway and took off...after about 30-40 feet off the ground it was just a black silloette. I couldnt tell which way was which, i just had to trust my fingers, and the fact i know what way i was turning. On my downwind leg it got really hairy...I honestly couldnt tell which way it was going...and it was the first time where i felt that i didnt have control of the plane! I really hate that feeling. When i went left it went right, and vice versa...i honestly thought there for a minute i wasnt coming back with my plane. I finally got it level and flying to me...at that point thats all i was worried about was to get it close enough that i could see it better. Once i got close i landed her...and there was a heavy cross wind(heaver than i thought) so i acually had to use the rudder...i was acually surprised how well it sat down with the wind. Once it was down i was greatful i didnt loose her. So today i did a lot of things for the first time that i dont want to do again...haha. So the moral of the story is to not fly your plane when its kinda cloudy and grey lookin out...no matter how bad you want to(trust me i wanted to bad...turns out i shouldnt have)

thats it...just thought ide share my experience

-Dustin

Just relax! If you push right, and it banks left, and vice versa, then it is coming toward you! If it banks the way you push the sticks, then it is going away from you! Real quick way to tell whether it is coming or going!

Lesson Number one--No flight is worth losing the plane over. If it's too windy, fixing to rain, too cloudy, etc., then wait for another day!

Ive had that happen to me with of all things an LT 40... My answer to this phenom was to listen to a master builders advise and make the top and bottom surfaces as contrasting as possible. my solution involved starburst white and red design on top wing and elevator and then two large white diamonds on the bottom of the wing. Another one of our club members used 4 inch red Dots on the entire underside of the plane and starburst on top of wing , tail and rudder. Really makes the difference.

I fly in this condition all the time and yes it is easy to lose a plane when the sky isn't clear. But practicer makes perfect. If I could fly everyday I would, but for now every weekend will have to do.

I recently re covered it and made the bottom of the fuse and the wings bright yellow and the rest of the plane red...but that didnt help much, it was just plain too dark out to fly...O' well, I gotter down in one peice so thats all that matters.

-Dustin

I know that feeling all too well.....

it was getting late in the day, and I had been flying my Magic (bright yellow) and my 1/4 scale extra 260 all day. The sun was on its way to bed and I wanted to get in one more flight with my 260. It went up, and it turned jet black. Same thing you did is what I did. Had to figure out which way the plane was going....

needless to say, after landing it in one piece, I almost tossed my cooookies

Same experience here.

I was a member of a club that had a field on the top of a hill. One overcast but not raining day I arrived and another flier and I debated for 15 minutes whether the overcast would clear - it was an even grey sky. I decided to fly. Took off and went about 50 feet up and my WHITE undersided plane absolutely vanished.

I throttled down. Fed in right rudder and continued to drop the throttle as we listened and tried to place the sound with the plane. Eventually it dropped below the ceiling and all was fine. Though, I did pack up and call it a day.

Glad it wasn't one of my sportier planes that I have to think ahead of.

Covering your plane with a visible/discernable theme is good and NOT flying in severe weather conditions is also good. But I found some years ago that to really ehance your visual perception the correct eyewear is impoortant. It goes without saying that if you require a visual correction, you should be wearing your eyeglasses. But whether or not you need corrective lenses I would suggest a pair of lenses with a soft yellow tint for those overcast days especially. I wouldn't fly without my special , yellow tinted, "flying glasses". By the way, they also are great for knocking down the harsh glare of oncoming headlights when night driving. FWIW from an optician.

i lost one completely in the sun once.....that was a hairy moment, so i can sympothise